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Dear Seagoat #6: Ship Seeks Dinghy for Good Times, Big $$$

Readers! Dear Seagoat is running low on questions! Have a relationship, career, creativity, sexuality or emotional issue burning a hole in your pocket? Ask now and let the planets patch that shiznit up!

Dear Seagoat,

I’m one tough lady with too many opportunities. I’ve had my own business for 25 years, but when the recession hit, I took a part time job to supplement my income. Now that my biz is buzzing again–though not quite at 2007 levels–I quit the job and am back in the saddle, to mix my metaphor. Well, lo, the biggest boys in the biz (in the world, actually) have approached me to join up my little solo co with their mega inc. I do play well with others, but only as long as I make the rules. I’ll never grow any bigger than I am without some help, but I’m scared to take the leap. Do I go with the opportunity or stay in my safe, but not really sound, niche? Help me!

–Indecisive Or Tough-minded Aquarius?

Dear IOTA,

Running a small business can be a bumpy ride. While the hit in ’08 must have been painful, I hear your justified pride in having saved the business yourself through hard work and commitment.

Your Aquarius Sun thrives on the sense of defying the odds and going its own way. Meanwhile, your tenacious Taurus Moon needs* to experience self-sufficiency. Valuable qualities indeed for a small business owner, giving you the inner resources to withstand many storms.

Let’s assume you’ll manage regardless of future crises to keep this business afloat. Then the next step is to think about larger goals. What would you like to see this business achieve in the world? If you didn’t have to worry about staying afloat, what could you put that energy toward? What does a truly sustainable lifestyle look like? What would your ideal retirement plan be?

Aquarians are natural visionaries with high ideals. You know you need help to grow, and my guess is you’re thinking big. With that Taurus Moon, you’re in the habit of struggling hard but your emotional wellbeing also requires long-term financial security. Both of these factors suggest merging would serve you well.

The heart of the problem is this. You know your current niche is “not really sound,” yet the opportunity of joining the “mega inc” presents major uncertainties—if only because you don’t know what you’ve never experienced. Change is hard on most of us** for this reason and even though don’t-fence-me-in Aquarius loves to see itself as radical, both Aquarius and Taurus are fixed signs that get badly set in their ways.

Perhaps your indecision here stems from a fear of identity loss. You’ve forged a strong system of values and ideals to make your way as an independent business owner. Maybe that identity feels like the core of who you are, your value in the world and to yourself. In that case, merging may feel like a kind of death. Maybe it is. But if so, it could help to redefine death as letting go to make way for renewal and growth. Consider other selves you’ve shed. How did it feel to move on? What did you gain from change? Try recalling your perspective before other changes occurred, especially ones that brought positive results. Recall also what these positive results felt like emotionally. My astrological guess is that frightening change has often left you light and energized.

With your North Node in Capricorn and the 8th house, life has taught you that when you cling to security and the familiar, your world becomes brittle, lonely and vulnerable to disaster. On the other hand, when you take risks, accept support and (best yet) join your goals to someone else’s, your projects become robust and success unfolds naturally. With your North Node in Capricorn, you come alive when in pursuit of meaningful challenge. Survival isn’t enough. Your vitality requires a community-level impact, the sense that your hard work will last. The 8th house North Node suggests success comes when you’re willing to see your goals through another’s eyes (and value system).

Based on this information, I’d guess joining up with “the biggest boys in the biz” is the best move, IOTA. However, if your discernment and the wise counsel of others*** has you turn down the offer, consider what a more appropriate team would look like. Embrace the opportunity to have your boat rocked by an ambitious and risk-smart partner. Not only will your finances be safer, the more deeply you engage with others, the more joy, excitement and energy you’ll experience. Who doesn’t want that?